Co-Coaching: C in the Group Coaching A - Z blog series

 

Welcome back to the A-Z series of Group Coaching. This series is part of our 19th anniversary

celebrations. We hope you enjoy it.

Every few weeks we'll bring you a different principle you will want to consider incorporating into your group coaching work. They are based off of my book, Effective Group Coaching (by Jennifer Britton).

This week, we are at C – Co-Facilitation. When EGC was first published there was a digital chapter on Co-Facilitation that later inspired Chapter 11 of From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and GroupCoaching.

For years I have been fascinated by the creative and evolutionary dance of co-coaching. It is part art and part science.

We have been exploring the foundations of this topic as part of the ACTIVATE Your Group and Team Coaching Superpowers program, one of our newer ICF-CCE approved programs (and part of our 60 hour pathway to Team Coaching Certification, and Group Coaching Certification).

As I share in my latest TEDx talk, CoachingTeams through Chaos, Diversity = Strength. The same holds true for Co-Facilitation.

Our best co-facilitators are often the ones who bring different strengths and styles. Their unique ability to see different things and work differently is additive, especially in a large group or team coaching situation.

Great Co-Facilitation doesn’t “just happen”, it’s designed. It is intentional. And the design process starts early on in  your relationship, WAY BEFORE you start working with a group or a team.

As I share in Chapter 10 of From One to Many, there are a series of questions you will want to ask throughout the design phase as well as when you are in the room.

It is not uncommon as a coaching supervisor of group and team coaches to hear about how a coaching engagement was derailed by sub-par co-facilitation. I’ve had my own share of great, and not so great engagements. And as we boil it down to some of the core elements of what makes it great or not, we have a variety of relational, coaching, and design elements which go into the mix.

In today’s blog post we’re going to zoom into one of the many elements which shape our co-coaching, that of styles.

Our styles also play a key role, and this is a great starting point for discussion and building your “alliance” (as we would say in CTI language).

• What is your superpower? Take the Team and Group Coaching Superpower quiz to find out.
• What is your partner’s coaching superpower?
• How do they relate?
• What strengths do you bring collectively?
• What blind spots, or gaps, exist?
• What you do want to make sure you are not overcompensating for?
• What is important in your partnership?
• What are you committed to, NO MATTER WHAT?

These questions alone might form the springboard to a 30 minute conversation together. It’s areas like this that we explore in the Co-Coaching Essentials program, coming again in June.

If you don’t see yourself co-coaching, use the same questions listed above to think about how these influence and interrelate with the styes of your group members. You can also take a look at the related Hybrid Work Styles Quiz

 

Enjoy the reflection and conversation!

Jennifer

Group Coaching Essentials

Our award-winning ICF-CCE approved training programs have been taken by thousands of coaches since 2006. Join us for coursework leading you to the new ACTC (Advanced Credential in Team Coaching) or complete our 70 or 125 hour Certificates in Team or Group Coaching.

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What is your unique style as a coach? Take 2-minutes to complete the  Group and Team Coaching Superpower Quiz. You can find it at https://bit.ly/gtcoachingsuperpower. Share your style using the comments below and/or follow along on Instagram at our CoachingBizBuilder site.

Join us for an upcoming program including: 

Neuroscience, Learning and Experiential Processes for Group and Team Coaching - NEW - Join us Fridays starting May 12th or Mondays at 130 pm ET starting June 6th - With Jennifer (6 weeks)

Group Coaching Essentials - Our flagship program which started this all. Looking to boost your understanding around what group coaching is and how to structure, market and lead conversations? Join us on Fridays from 1015 - 1130 am ET on Fridays starting May 12 for this 8.75 CCE program - 4 spaces still open - https://www.groupcoachingessentials.ca/group-coaching-essentials.html. 

Coaching Diverse Teams and Groups using the Work Styles - Fridays 1015 - 1130 am ET - May 12 - end of June (14 CCEs) - Widen your toolkit for working with diverse styles in teams and groups in this 6 week program based on the Hybrid Work Styles. WE also explore Coaching for Creativity and Innovation. This is course 5 in the 70 hour Certificate in Team Coaching Program.

Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum - 10 CCEs - Fridays 1230 - 2 pm ET - May 19 - mid-June (6 weeks)

Team Coaching Essentials (14 CCEs)  - Starts Monday May 8th. Being asked to coach teams OR Want to work towards your ACTC (Advanced Credential in Team Coaching)? Equip yourself with the foundations of this quickly evolving field. This program is grounded in our From One to Many methodology PLUS what works right now in today's evolving workspace. 6 week program on Mondays 12 - 130 pm ET  starting May  8 with Kathy

ACTIVATE your Group and Team Coaching Superpowers (14 CCEs) - Tuesdays 645 - 8 am ET: starting May 9, 16, 23, 30, June 6 and 13  with Jennifer- Course 4 in the pathway (catch up on call #1 with the recording)

Coaching Supervision Group (Small group format) - NEW COHORT - Mondays 9 - 1030 am ET:  May 15, June 12, July, August and September 11 OR book a call to explore individual coaching supervision.

Amazon link for Effective Group Coaching: https://amzn.to/3zoEGLF Program dates: https://www.groupcoachingessentials.ca/group-coaching-essentials.html

 

 

Co-Facilitation Video for Valentines Day

Happy Valentine's Day! In the spirit of creating great relationships, I've added a quick video on 10 questions to consider for co-facilitators. I also blogged on the same topic today over at my BizToolkit blog (for leaders and business owners) in the area of Developing Strong Work Patnerships.

Hope that you will click on over to YouTube to listen into 10 questions for you and your co-facilitator to consider (before, during and after engagements). Please feel free to share (social media links below) with those who would benefit!

Have a great day,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010) - Pick up an autographed copy today
Group Coaching Essentials (6.75 CCEs) Teleseminar starts this Thursday Feb 16th at 10:30 am (ET): 3 spots still open
Phone: (416) 996-8326 (TEAM)

Coaching Business Builder - Collaboration

Finding the right partners in building and running your business is an important process. Whether you are co-designing and co-facilitating programs, getting support from interns or virtual assistants, or partnering with other service providers, collaboration that works is critical for coaches.

How do you create great collaboration? What are some questions to consider when looking to create partnerships or collaborations that work?

Here are a few I include in a bonus chapter on Co-Facilitation to my book, Effective Group Coaching, (available when you purchase a copy of the book from my site):
1. What are your strengths? Passions weaknesses?
2. How are you complimentary? Where do your skills match? What gaps still exist? What other skills might you still requir?
3. Clearly define your roles - What roles are required to complete the task? Who will take care of what?
4. What are your expectations for your partnership?

(Adapted from Effective Group Coaching Addendum - Co-Facilitation, Britton, 2010. All Rights Reserved, pp. 4-5)

Another couple of questions I would also add are:
1. What does collaboration mean to me? To us?
2. What can we do to support each other? What will be valuable (and seen as support)?
3. How do we define success and quality?
4. What's the most amazing thing that could come out of this partnership?
5. What are we willing to commit to?

A great book to look at collaboration and the impact of it from a business and leadership standpoint is Collaboration by Morten T. Hansen (HBR Press, 2009). As Morten states:
"Bad collaboration is worse than no collaboration at all" .

What steps will you take to ensure you create the best collaboration possible? You may also want to check out some of the past posts I've written on co-facilitation here at the blog (click to your right).

Have a great week!

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Author of Effective Group Coaching
Group Coaching Essentials - our Summer accelerated teleseminar program starts on Thurs June 9th (Tues/Thurs 8-9:15 pm ET). Ready to start designing and running your own group coaching programs? 6.75 CCEs
Phone: 416.996.TEAM (8326)

Co-Facilitation - Who Has Your Back

This month, my newsletter focused on co-facilitation in the spirit of love and relationships. Co-Facilitation is a really important relationship to foster whether you are a coach, trainer or professinal leading programs with another. We often spend more time focusing on our program development, rather than focusing on the relationship amongst ourselves.

Here's what I wrote in this month's Group Coaching Newsletter:

"I continue to see more and more coaches incorporate co-facilitation into their work. Whether it is with a another coach, or another professional, what do you do to make it really work?

Here are a couple of thoughts:
1. Number one rule - make sure you have each others back. Through the good and the bad make sure your trust each other to have each others' back at all times. If the trust isn't there, you need to ask why not, and act on it.

2. Know where your strengths lay - individually and collectively. What are your strengths as a partnership? What are your blind spots or gaps?

3. Spend time up front focusing on your relationship, not just getting the work done. See where your values are aligned. How do you define "quality"?Know what each others buttons are.

4. Practically, map out the program together. Know where you can accordion - where you can expand, where you can contract. Share a common understanding of what's a need to have, and what's a nice to have.

5. Check your ego at the door - remember that it is about the group or team you are working with, not you!"

Which of these five activities have you invested time and energy on so far? If you are planning an upcoming partnership, what do you want to have some discussion around?

Read other posts I've written on Co-Facilitation in the past here.

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Warm regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Author of Effective Group Coaching: Copies ordered through my site include a bonus digital chapter on Co-Facilitation
Host of the Group Coaching Essentials program
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jennbritton
Contact us to learn more about our coaching services for co-facilitators

Want to reprint this for your own blog or newsletter? Please do so including a link to this post and the following:
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010), Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC supports coaches and other professionals eager to undertake their own group coaching work through the Group Coaching Essentials program, an ICF Accredited CCE program. She works with corporate groups and teams to accelerate their results, as well as with business owners who wish for greater impact and success. Jennifer has designed award winning mentoring training programs for the financial services sector, and brings more than 20 years experience in developing and delivering high impact group programs. For tips on group coaching visit the Group Coaching Ins and Outs blog at http://groupcoaching.blogspot.com. For tips and ideas around leadership and business please visit the BizToolkit blog at http://biztoolkit.blogspot.com.

7 Reasons to Co-Facilitate Group Coaching

Many coaches ask if co-facilitation is recommended when working with groups and teams. Throughout the years I have enjoyed great co-facilitation experiences, and for the most part today, whenever I undertake in-person work with large groups, co-facilitation is a must. Even with smaller groups, in more intensive interactions, such as team coaching, co-faciliation is my preference.

Here are seven reasons why co-facilitation makes great sense:

1. When working with larger groups, it makes it much easier to keep an eye on the group process;
2. The diverse styles many co-facilitators bring, allow for connections with different participants. Not everyone resonates, and connects, the same way with each facilitator;
3. Two heads are often better than one in terms of creativity and new idea generation;
4. Even if group process is running smoothly, it is useful for the "other facilitator" to keep an eye on logistical details (i.e. meals, materials, set up) if they are not leading an exercise;
5. It's easier to take note of outcomes and accountabilities, when you are not leading the discussion;
6. The energy created amongst co-facilitators can help you ride through the peaks and valleys of energy throughout the day;
7. It can be a lot more fun as you hopefully have created a partnership that you can lean into.

What are your reasons why you like to co-facilitate?

A bonus chapter of my book, Effective Group Coaching, is all about Co-facilitation and will be chock full of more tips and questions to consider when co-facilitating. Stay tuned for more details, and take note to circle back in January when the book is launched.

Have a great week and do check out earlier posts I've written about co-facilitation and what to consider.

Warm regards,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC, CPT
Potentials Realized
Group Coaching Essentials
Email info{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com
Phone: (416) 996-TEAM (8326)

This month's Group Coaching Essentials program starts Tuesday October 13th at 7pm (Eastern). Join me and gain valuable tips, tools, resources and exercises for your own group coaching work. There are still 3 spaces available. The program is also accredited for 6.25 CCEs (Continuing Coach Education Units) by the ICF for those ACCs, PCCs, and MCCs needing to recertify (including 4.25 hours of Core Competencies). Give me a call at (416) 996-8326 if you are ready to add group coaching to your offerings and want to get started right away!

Considering Co-Facilitation?

It's interesting that one of the themes I am being asked a lot about this winter is around co-facilitation approaches for team and group coaching.

For those of you looking for some tips on how to approach co-facilitation, I want to invite you to take a look back at some of the posts I've written in the past on the topic of co-facilitation here.

Is co-facilitation always essential - No. But co-facilitation brings a number of benefits, especially if:

• Your group of team size is large
• You want to be able to provide altnerative perspectives and voices as facilitators
• You want to ensure that the faciilitation team brings a mix of expertise (prehaps industry experience and/or subject matter experience in addition to facilitation experience)
• You want to provide a variety of styles/approaches

From my experience, one of the most important ingredients to successful co-faciliation work is taking the time upfront (i.e. before you design your work, and before you are in front of a group or team!) to design your own relationship. Many of the posts from 2008 around co-facilitation address this very issue.

What have been the success factors which have led to great co-facilitation work on your part? What are your co-facilitation questions? As always, please feel free to comment below!

Warmly

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC

Group Coaching Essentials

Mobile: (416) 996-TEAM (8326)

Co-Facilitation Tips: Part 2

Co-Faciliation Tips : Creating the Foundation for Success: Part 2
Copyright 2008 – Jennifer Britton. All Rights Reserved

Earlier this week I posted some initial questions you may want to consider asking when starting a co-facilitation relationship in part one of this post. Creating conscious, intentional relationships can mean the difference between ordinary and exceptional. Participants also have a unique ability to pick up even subtle nuances or tensions between co-facilitators.

When starting to work together as a co-facilitation team it can be beneficial to spend in person (or phone based time) creating your partnership. Here are some additional questions you may want to add to that first or second meeting you are going to have.

Questions for co-facilitators to ask each other:

* What is our shared vision for this program?
* What is our philosophy as a co-facilitation team?
* What is my stake as an individual? What is our stake as a team?
* What can we do to keep on target?
* What will we do if we get off target?
* What is the essence that surrounds us?
* How and when will we check in with one another?
* What will I be responsible for?

Co-facilitation of programs provides a wonderful opportunity for participants to view and experience a positive collaborative partnership. It also provides a richer experience for the learners who can benefit from two different personalities, sets of life experiences, communication styles, and facilitation styles.

I hope that you find these questions useful as you move forward with your co-facilitation design. In part 3 of this post, I'll be sharing with you some concrete exercises you may want to consider weaving into your own design and preparation process.

Warm wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP
Potentials Realized
Coaching for Co-Facilitators and Business Partners
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email

Co-Facilitation : Creating the Foundation For Success

Co-Facilitation: Creating the Foundation for Success
Copyright 2008 - Jennifer Britton, All Rights Reserved

When was the last time you experienced great co-facilitation? I really believe that great co-facilitation is an art form. AND the good news is, there are things we can do to create an environment of success when we are co-leading. This is the first of several posts I’ll be doing on co-facilitation. In the coming weeks I will be blogging on exercises, tips and tools you can use to take your co-leading from good to great!

Today’s post is all about creating the Foundation for Success

From project management best practices, we know that some of the most successful ones happen when there is a strong emphasis on the planning stage.

Here are some practical questions to ask when you are starting a new co-facilitation:

* Who are we? As individuals? As a pair?
* Where do our skills compliment each other? Where do our skills match?
* Where do our personalities compliment each other? Where are they they same?
* Together, what are our strengths? What are our blindspots?
* What are our values as individuals? What are our values as a team?

Exercise: As a co-facilitation team undertake a SWOT exercise. This has traditionally been a strategic planning tool and is a wonderful tool for business owners and others.

Stay tuned for more co-facilitation tips.

Warm wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Group Coaching Essentials
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

If you are a co-faciltiation team I hope that you will consider joining me virtually (by phone) for the Revitalize Your Partnership Virtual Retreat this weekend, to put a little “spring” and intention into the relationship. Throughout the day you will have a structured process and exercises to support you from moving your relationship from ordinary to extraordinary. Our next program runs this Sunday May 4th from 11-5 pm (EST) by phone. Click here to reserve your spot and register.

Leveraging the Power of Our Relationships

Just a quick note to those of you who are here in the Toronto area on Wednesday evening, April 16th. I hope that you will consider joining me at this month's International Coach Federation GTA Chapter meeting where I will be leading an interactive evening presentation with fellow ORSC coach Jennifer Miller. Jennifer and I will be delivering an experiential evening on Wednesday evening entitled "Leveraging the Power of Our Relationships".

We are always in relationship with others. Success in navigating and leveraging our relationships may mean the difference between good and great.

We'll be drawing on a really exciting hybrid of tools for you to explore your current business relationships, create a new one in the TO coaching community, while gaining some new tools for your work with group or individual clients. We'll be drawing on the amazing work of thought leaders such as Keith Ferrazzi, Jim Collins, experiential education and the Center for Right Relationship.

Here's a link to the program details. We'll be starting at about 6pm on Wednesday evening out in the West end and I hope to see you there!

If you can't make it to Toronto on Wednesday evening, Jennifer and I hope that you will be able to join us on Sunday May 4th for the Revitalize Your Partnership Virtual Retreat. It will be held by phone from 11-5 pm (EST)/8-2 pm (PT)/5-10 pm (UK). It's a six hour program held by phone developed for any business or personal partnership to reconnect, plan and look at taking their relationships from good to great. The program is well suited for business partners, co-faciltitators as well as intimate partnerships. The program is held by phone and is a combination of group coaching calls, and individual exercises undertaken from the comfort of your own home or office. Space still remains and you can find out more information or register here.

Warm wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Group Coaching Essentials
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

Creating Positive, Intentional Business Partnerships

I often think of February as the month of relationships, in part due to the presence of Valentines Day. As an Organization and Relationship systems coach (ORSC), I love the dynamics that are created through relationships. Relationships is going to be a theme for my monthly blog posts here, and also at my sister sites The Biz Toolkit and Your Balanced Life!

I have been spending quite a bit of time speaking this week about the importance of relationships as it relates to marketing during my Workshop and Retreat Essentials program and Group Coaching Essentials program. What attention have you paid to your business relationships lately?

This year I am continuing to run a number of collaborative programs and love the synergy and richness that my fellow partners and I have created. Each partnership has its own feel and energy which infuses the programs differently.

I was reminded this week about the importance of being really clear and intentional when creating partnerships, as we discussed some worst case scenarios, as well as some real life best practices for business partnerships during this week's teleseminars.

Here are some questions you may want to consider when developing your next co-facilitation, joint venture or business partnership:

* What are your goals for a partnership? What do you hope to accomplish?
* What unique skills, abilities or characteristics do you bring to the partnership?
* What are you looking for in a partner – to enhance your weaker areas, to expand you into new markets?
* What particular skills are you looking for in a partner?
* What particular characteristics are you looking for in a partner?
* What are your expectations from the partnership?
* How will you measure success?

Looking for a facilitated process for your new partnership? As an ORSC coach a large part of my work focuses on creating the space for new partnerships to start of “on the right foot” and from the strongest foundation possible. If you are an existing partnership, there is no time like the present to take the pulse of your relationship and spend some time nurturing it. Drop me an email if you and your partner are looking to design your partnership in a positive, and intentional way. I'll be offering 3 complimentary partnership design sessions this month -- one hour by phone for you and your partner.

Also, in the spirit of relationships, I will be offering a 50% discount on my relationship coaching rates for business partners (co-facilitators, those in or considering joint ventures, strategic alliances) for the month of February. This offer open from now until the end of February 2008. Email me to take advantage of it.

Have a great weekend,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC, CHRP
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer{at}potentialsrealized.com

Group Facilitation Tip - Co-Facilitation

Group Facilitation Tip - Co-Facilitation
Copyright 2007 - Jennifer Britton

This week's group facilitation tip is on co-facilitation. A major theme for me this year is around collaboration, and a number of really significant opportunities have presented themselves in the last few months. In my mind, co-faciltiation enhances the possibilities and outcomes of group programs, ensuring that in my work and others that the "sum is greater than it's parts".

For many years I was involved in co-facilitation when I ran retreat programs for organizations. It was often quite common to have 250 or more staff in the room, and we needed 2 or 3 facilitators. After several years of often running programs on my own, I'm back to the world of co-faciliation and I am loving it. As a relationship systems coach most of our large group work is done through co-facilitation when working with teams.

I often get asked " What are some tips for co-faciltiation?" I would love to have a magic bullet, but unfortunately I don't. I have seen, and experienced when co-facilitation has gone well, and also when things have run amok, leaving a sour taste for everyone involved.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when designing your next co-facilitation:

1. What are your strengths? Your passions? Your weaknesses? Creating the opportunity for each person to leverage their strengths and passions leads to more fun, creativity and presence. What are you good at? What do you like to do?

2. How are you complimentary? Many successful partnerships and the business world are based on complimentary skills -- how do you each compliment each other? I have seen excellent facilitators come together to co-facilitate, and the program has fallen flat, in part due to the similar nature of each one. If you are working with someone who is very much like yourself, what do you need to be aware of? How can you bring in the complimentary skills you need?

3. Clearly define your roles. Masterful co-facilitation is like a dance. Who is taking the lead? Things get murky when roles are not clear. I spend a lot of time up front with my co-facilitator, even before the start of a program, designing what our roles are going to be. Who will take a lead on this part of the program? Who is going to be responsibile for that? Spending time to build this foundation allows us to look at where do we synergize, and who takes the lead at different stages.

4. What are your expectations for the program and your partnership? Spend time before the program discussing your expectations for the program and your partnerhip. A disconnect between each parties expectations can lead to conflict and that sour taste in your mouth.

Ask each other "What are your hopes, fears and fantasies for the program and the partnership?".

I would love to hear about your experience with co-facilitation - the highs and the lows. What made it work really well? What stopped it in its tracks? Please feel free to comment below.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized ~ Group Coaching Essentials
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer@potentialsrealized.com